HIGHER EDUCATION DEPARTMENT

LEARNING MODULE 2 IN SPC-PEH 2

(Teaching PE and Health in the Elementary Grades)

Mrs. Haidee S. Calumpang, M. Ed.

INSTRUCTOR
 DE LA SALLE JOHN BOSCO COLLEGE
Mangagoy, Bislig City

HIGHER EDUCATION DEPARTMENT

Module Code SPC-PEH

Module Title Teaching PE and Health in the Elementary Grades
Duration 2 hours per week
Week Number 2
Date January 4-7, 2023

TOPIC: THE LEARNER AND THE LEARNING PROCESS

OBJECTIVES:

In this unit, the student should be able to:

1. describe the characteristics of growth and their implications in the teaching of physical
education;
2. analyze the basic characteristics of Filipino children and adolescents and the implications to
PE;
3. explain the concept about motor learning;
4. identify and explain some theories of learning which affect the teaching of PE;
5. discuss the basic principles of learning that have implications in the teaching of PE.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

DISCUSSION

⮚ The activities in the PE program, in order to contribute to growth and learning, must be suited
to the needs and characteristics of the learner as an individual and as a member of a group.

⮚ Little learning will be achieved unless learning experiences are organized in terms of the facts
established on how man learns.

CHARACTERISTICS OF GROWTH

Growth Is Change

● A person goes through stages of infancy, childhood, adolescence and

adulthood. Within each stage changes also occur.

● However, the rate and extent of change differ among individuals because each
one has his own personalized “time and quality” table.

Growth Takes Time, Is Orderly and Uneven

● Growth does not happen overnight. It is very clear that evidence of growth
cannot be expected quite easily,

● Physical growth is a developmental process and although it is orderly it is also

uneven.
 ● During infancy there is a rapid physical growth; during the elementary school
years it is continuous but slower, it is rapid again but uneven during the
adolescent years; finally, all the growing parts catch up and a more stable state
is reached.
● Growth toward social and emotional maturity is not also easy and smooth. There
are periods of slow growth and retrogressions (return to a former and less complex
level of development)

● IMPLICATION: The teacher must help facilitate growth and help the children to
know themselves.

● He should be sensitive to some of the symptoms that individuals manifest when

their adjustment is not occurring effectively.

CHARACTERISTICS OF FILIPINO CHILDREN

EARLY CHILDHOOD (Ages 4-6)

Physical Characteristics Psychological Characteristics

1. Period of rapid structural growth; bones soft and 1.Individualistic, possessive, and intensely curious.
flexible. Heart and lungs small in relation to height
and weight.

2. Muscular strength somewhat limited giving rise to 2.Attention span is very short and quite related to their
early postural defects, such as sloping shoulders, personal motivation.
spinal curvatures and incorrect foot alignments.

3.Ability to continue an activity or strenuous exercise 3.Show a great deal of friendliness almost to the point
program for extended period of time is also limited. of affection.

4.Gross control of hands and fingers due partly to 4.Show no sex preference.
inability to quickly focus objects within close range.

5.Dominance of the hand and foot becomes well 5.Would rather play in small groups; not ready for
established near the end of the age range. sustained cooperation.

6. Like to move to music, words, or some other stimuli

that encourage creative response.

IMPLICATIONS:

1. Provide exercises and activities that will develop and maintain good posture.
2. Provide vigorous activities involving all parts of the body.
3. Provide frequent rest periods, particularly between vigorous action or movement.
4. Provide simple activities that develop eye-hand coordination, stationary and moving balance
and general body control.
5. Select rhythmic activities that allow for the development of free expression and creativity.
6. Select games that have simple rules, involves small groups and teach children to take turns.
7. Provide a variety of activities within a unit and within a single lesson.
8. Stress wherever possible maximum class participation.

MIDDLE CHILDHOOD (Ages 7-9)

 Physical Characteristics Psychological Characteristics

1. A period of stable and regular structural growth 1. Classified as the age of conflict; sometimes still
and physical maturation. individualistic, self- assertive, then without warning
or reason, may reveal a willingness to share or
cooperate.

2. General increase in strength, particularly in the arms 2.By 7—adult approval is more important than that of
and legs. classmates. By 8—a shift to the importance of “gang
life”.

3.Improved muscular control, specifically those 3.Show increased attention span coupled with a
relating to hand-eye movements and in reaction time desire to practice specific skills.
and balance.

4.Postural abnormalities become more evident as 4.Still movable, imaginative, and keenly interested in
bones continue to harden. rhythmical sounds; enjoy expressive movements of all
kinds.

5.Rapid and almost unbelievable recovery from acute 5.Easily excited, sensitive to criticism, and strongly in
fatigue after short rest periods. need of approval and close supervision.

6.Heart and lungs still small in proportion to body

weight responsible of early fatigue with strenuous
activities.

Implications:

1. Continue with Nos. 1-8 of the early childhood group in as much as this is a transition age
range.
2. Begin to assign pupils some responsibility for equipment, discipline, and activity selection.
3. Introduce dance activities that involve partners and group participation.

LATE CHILDHOOD (Ages 10-12)

Physical Characteristics Psychological Characteristics

1. A period of marked change in physical growth and 1. Both sexes are becoming more conscious of their
maturation with extreme difference in height, bodies.
weight, and sex.

2.Heart and lungs are in size and capacity 2. Boys tend to be sloppy in dressing because they are
proportionate to height and weight. more concerned with physical skills and fitness rather
than grooming; keenly interested in vigorous
competitive sports; show a keen concern about their
peers; a great deal of confidence in adults.

3.Muscle strength continuous to increase with boys 3.Girls become concerned with their own personal
showing a significant improvement over the girls. Girls, femininity. Activities such as general body mechanics
however, are more flexible and graceful in self-testing and social dances are now more important that
and dance activities. vigorous and “rough” team sports.
4.Muscular development and motor coordination 4.Strong feelings for right and wrong; team loyalty and
usually good. success seem to mean more than personal glory.

5.Still active, full or energy, while physical and organic 5.Desire for independence increases.
growth continues to be slow and steady.

6.Reaction time continues to improve with the boys
revealing a noticeable inferiority in skill involving hand-
eye coordination.
6.Sex antagonism and rivalry very rampant.
7.More and more interested in activities that give
chances to tax skill, agility, and staying power.

IMPLICATIONS:

1. Separate the boys from the girls in such activities as competitive sports and some self-testing
activities. The separation must be based upon a combination of skill and interest level.
2. Provide team sports, club activities, and intramural competition.
3. Provide longer periods of instruction with an increased emphasis on skills development.
4. Give much emphasis on the development of good sportsmanship, leadership, and team
loyalty.
5. Provide opportunities for dance activities as folk and social dancing for both sexes to develop
a healthy boy-girl relationship.
6. Give more lessons on health and good grooming with emphasis on proper hygiene.
7. Provide a variety of self-evaluation devices for all areas of the program

WHAT IS LEARNING

Physical education stresses on “learn to move and move to learn”. But what is learning?
Learning is changing.

SCENARIO: Yesterday, the child held the softball bat clumsily and swung it in a very
awkward manner, but he was able to hit the ball and get it to the first base. Some changed
occurred to him.

Today, we see him get the bat, hold it a little more firmly and swing it in a more smooth
or coordinated manner. Some connection between sense organs and muscles had been
changed. The sight of the bat and the satisfaction that he got when he swung it to hit the
ball formed a pattern of stimuli which aroused a motor response of repeating the
movement.

We might say that learning is a change in behavior due to stimuli.

THE NATURE OF MOTOR LEARNING

Motor learning is usually defined as learning in which bodily movements play a major
part. These movements are patterns of responses to recognized stimuli. The stimuli
(perceived) may be visual, kinesthetic, auditory, or other sense stimuli, or a combination of
the stimuli of several senses. The movement patterns used by a performer are not exact
repetitions of the same act.

What must be learned is a general pattern, not specific responses to exact repetitious stimuli.
Motor learning is generalized. It is a change in general form of behavior. The forming of a
motor pattern is of a generalized nature.

For example: an individual learns to walk but adjusts his walking to the terrain. The
batting pattern of a player adjusts while he concentrates intently on the pitched ball.

Motor learning is pattern learning. Many of the specific movement patterns have been
attained during the pre-school and primary school development.

THEORIES OF LEARNING

Most experiments in learning theories have been planned around learning the content
of academic subjects. Two of these have been found to affect the teaching of physical
education.

THE STIMULUS-RESPONSE THEORY (Associative theory)

The stimulus-response (S-R) theory developed by Edward Thorndike suggests that

learning takes place by conditioning a response to a stimulus.

Learning is associating and conditioning. Learning takes place with an established neural
pathway between the stimulus and the response. This theory emphasizes that when an
individual is stimulated to perform an act of response and this act or response is
accompanied by pleasure or satisfaction, he will remember and repeat the act. Then with
practice, the response becomes automatic like any other drill or habit.

In PE, the S-R theory favors teaching of an activity or skill and providing the opportunity
to practice correctly until the skill is learned or mastered. It is responsibility of the PE teacher
when teaching a skill, to provide the best possible demonstration of the skill to be learned,
and to continually assist the learner in the practice using the techniques to assure
improvement.

THE COGNITIVE THEORY OF LEARNING (Field theory)

The cognitive theory of learning which has been developed by Gestalt focuses on the
individual. It states that an individual learns a task as a meaningful whole rather than a series
of related parts. It proposes that the response is not to the stimulus but to the learner’s
perception of the reconstruction of the stimulus in terms of the whole situation.

An outstanding advocate of the cognitive theory is Jerome Bruner. His major emphasis
is on the discovery approach which gives much importance to intuitive thinking. The teacher
using this approach places the students in situations in which insight determines the solution
to the problem.

Some ways to facilitate learning are recommended by Gagne in the following:

1. It is generally recognized that each learner has different pre-requisite skills as he

attempts to learn a new activity. A complete diagnostic survey should be made of
what the child can not do and can do.
2. The teacher should have available pre-requisites the child has not yet mastered.
3. Students do not need additional practice to ensure retention but should be subjected
to periodic and spaced reviews.
BASIC PRINCIPLES OF LEARNING AND IMPLICATIONS

Some basic principles of learning that have implications in the teaching of PE are
stated below:

1. Each learner is a unique individual

The way in which an individual learns is not exactly like that of any other individual.
Implication: Employ various means to individualize instruction, such as flexible
groupings, varied instructional methods, and consider the rate of progress.

2. The learner learns as a whole individual.

The whole of a man is an entity; he functions effectively as a total person. Whatever
he learns, he learns as a total individual.
Implication: The school environment must provide for his comfort and well-being. The
teacher should help reinforce learning by presenting key instructions or concepts and
facts through various methods or media.

3. Learning is an active process.

The learning of a motor skill demands actual performance and practice of the skill. He
must make as part of his learning experience the discovery of better ways of
performance and the relevance in the solution of a problem.

4. The child learns in terms of his maturity, his experience background, and his own
purposes.
The child cannot learn what he is not ready to learn. The physiological maturity of
each individual child establishes a minimum age before which is not realistic to expect
him to achieve a specific learning objective. The child’s experiential background is
also a factor in his readiness for learning. He also learns in terms of his felt needs; he
does not learn that which he does not need to learn.
Implications: Learning activities must be suited to the learner’s developmental needs
and interests. The teacher can stimulate readiness for certain learning’s by providing
appropriate background experiences. It is the teachers responsibility to identify
purposes that are currently meaningful to the learner and to motivate new and
important learnings.

PRINCIPLES IN SKILL LEARNING

To assist the learner in the acquisition of a particular skill in the instructional
program, the teacher must be guided by scientific principles. The following principles
are practical as well as scientific:
1. Accurate and effective practice is important.
2. Correct and accurate practice repeated many times to the point of over
learning will result in an automatic and smooth movement.
3. Practice periods should be short for beginners and may become a little
longer as learning processes.
4. Practice periods should be distributed over a long period rather than
concentrated in a short span of time.